Planet Crete
The ancestors of the Corsairs that had set adrift from the crippled Hispania made planetfall on Crete shortly after the other Houses arrived in the Sirius Sector. Scratching out a living, the Corsairs managed a bleak existence for four centuries. Eventually they developed a strong self-identity, isolated from the rest of the Houses. In 450 AS, that insular world changed. An exploratory expedition headed by Franz Schulman -- financed by Daumann and the Rheinland government -- stumbled into the system while mapping the far reaches of the Walker Nebula. The local inhabitants, sensing a historic opportunity, attacked the landing party en masse, killing all save Schulman, whom they took hostage to gain control of the mother ship Schiller in orbit above the planet. No one is entirely sure who first nicknamed them the "Corsairs," recalling the ancient pirate clans of the Mediterranean, but the name came into popular use among the Houses sometime around 500 AS. The Corsairs began attacking unprotected outposts and ships, plundering whatever supplies and equipment they could lay their hands on, before escaping through one of their secret Jump Holes. The systematic expansion of the Houses into the Omega Border Worlds further fueled the Corsair movement, dramatically increasing the quantity and variety of accessible goods. The final chapter began in the sixth century AS, when an enterprising, well-armed Liberty freelancer named Jim Bown made his way to Omicron Gamma. He brought various Consumer Goods to trade, but the Corsairs could offer little but Artifacts. A year later, he returned. Those trinkets were all the rage with the elite of Manhattan. He saw a great business opportunity if they could set up a viable trade route to Liberty. The Corsairs were on their way. They grew rapidly in size and sophistication as they built up the Artifact trade. The primary smuggling route goes north to Sigma-19, where Artifacts are traded with the Hogosha onboard the Hawaii. They have also opened up a route into Rheinland via the Yanagi Junker base in Sigma-13. In the west the Corsairs invaded Bretonia in order to reach the Junker Trafalgar base in New London. The Bounty Hunters Guild has taken advantage of several Freeports in the Edge Worlds to attack the Corsairs’ home system. So far they’ve been more of nuisance than a real threat, but the presence of Zoner-controlled bases so close to Omicron Gamma has provoked intense debate among the Elders of Crete regarding the future of nearby Independent bases. Infocard *LOCATION: Omicron Gamma system *OWNER: Corsairs *DIAMETER: 17,609 km. *MASS: 7.02 x 10e24 kg. *TERRAIN: Terrestrial *TEMPERATURE: -2°C to 41°C *ESCAPE VELOCITY: 14.01 km/se Ships For Sale *Corsair M10 Class Titan Very Heavy Fighter - $776,380 Commodities For Sale *Artifacts - $162 *Oxygen - $45 *Water - $195 Guns For Sale *Angelito Mk I *Angelito Mk II *Angelito Mk III *Borroco *Rapier *Salamanca Mk II Turrets For Sale *Angelito Turret Mk I *Angelito Turret Mk II *Borroco Turret Missiles For Sale *Cannonball Missile *Catapult Missile *Firestalker Missile *Lancer Missile *Moonstalker Missile *Neutralizer Missile *Sunstalker Missile *Sweeper Missile *Windstalker Missile Shields For Sale *Adv. Aegis Fr. Shield *Adv. Aegis H.F. Shield *Adv. Aegis L.F. Shield *Adv. Brigandine Fr. Shield *Adv. Brigandine H.F. Shield *Adv. Brigandine L.F. Shield *Brigandine Fr. Shield *Brigandine H.F. Shield *Brigandine L.F. Shield Torpedo/Cruise Disruptors For Sale *Starkiller Torpedo Launcher *Hornet Cruise Disruptor Mine Dispensers For Sale *Driller Mine *Razor Mine *Screamer Mine *Swatter Mine *Tadpole Mine Rumors "The proximity of our base Cadiz to the Trade Lanes and Bretonian space makes it a primary source of stolen goods for the Corsairs. H-Fuel, Pharmaceuticals, and Polymers are frequently shipped here from that base." - Crete Bartender Pedro Alonso "The Artifacts we trade in Yanagi more than pay for the Side Arms, Consumer Goods, and Fertilizers that we bring to this base on our return." - Bartolo Quentinilla, Corsairs "The supplies we use to run our bases are either stolen or purchased with the money we make from selling stolen goods. The Construction Machinery here is almost all stolen." - Enrique Estevez, Corsairs "The Artifacts that end up in Manhattan usually pass through Bretonia's market first. We export Alien Artifacts to the Junker base Tralfagar. I don't suppose there would be anything to stop you from doing the same." - Julio Gonzales, Corsairs "Oxygen and Water are produced here in Crete. We supply all the other Corsair bases and the nearby Freeports with those necessities. Any other basic supplies must be imported or stolen." - Dora Moreno, Corsairs "There were Artifacts all over Crete at one time. Most of these have been sold now, but we still find Artifacts in the Malvadas and Napo Clouds. Any Corsair could have many of the alien trinkets, but they have no function and are therefore meaningless, except for trade. Let some other fool spend his money on them." - Lourdes Mendez, Corsairs "If you are trying to get Alien Artifacts into Kusari space, then I recommend you travel to the Hawaii, where the Hogosha will usually take them off your hands." - Crete Bartender Pedro Alonso "The Zoners at Freeport 5 and Freeport 9 have access to many of the supplies we use at this base. In exchange for the Oxygen and Water we have in abundance here we are able to get all manner of goods." - Enrique Estevez, Corsairs "There is a demand for Alien Artifacts in New Berlin. The Junkers at Yanagi will purchase our Artifacts and carry them the rest of the way into the Rheinland capitol." - Bartolo Quentinilla, Corsairs "The Corsairs are consolidated into family lines that are brought together and strengthened by marriage. Our society is a closed one; we do not wish to dilute our blood with the seeds of weaker men. It is possible to fly with the Corsairs and to be trusted by us, but an outsider will never marry into the families of Crete." - Dora Moreno, Corsairs "We traveled to Sirius on a sleeper ship like everyone else. Our ship, the Hispania, fell victim to sabotage en route. We were forced to abandon her and make our way through the void. We found this planet with barely enough supplies to feed half of us. Few crops would grow in these infertile sands, and our numbers dwindled to almost nothing." - Julio Gonzales, Corsairs "The second year after planetfall we ran out of Food. The family leaders gathered together and decided upon a course of action. The Ventru line was chosen, and they gave themselves up to be butchered. Every Corsair is a Ventru, though the line no longer lives, they are a part of us all." - Crete Bartender Pedro Alonso "The Malvada Nube serves as the key adult initiation ritual within the close families of the Corsairs. Young pilots must fly a stripped ship into the cloud, find an Artifact, and return safely to Crete. Almost 30% never return. The radiation levels are high, and it is rumored that there are strange beings that guard the best areas. By tradition, a lost trainee's ship and body are never recovered, just left as a reminder to future generations of failure's cost." - Lourdes Mendez, Corsairs "Many think our rites of initiation are barbaric, but we can't feed, clothe, and train every Corsair born. The initiation keeps our population problems in check. At the age of sixteen every Corsair must fly into the radioactive Malvadas Cloud in an unshielded ship and return with an Artifact. Some retun as they left, others become sterile, and the rest die." - Bartolo Quentinilla, Corsairs "There is a legend that a secret Jump Hole lies at the center of the Graveyard of the Innocents in the Malvada Cloud. A young Corsair completing his adulthood initiation rites stumbled across it while trying to find his Artifact. He entered it and emerged in an uncharted system. Strange alien ships soon appeared in the distance, and he fled for his life back to known territory. Few people believe the story." - Enrique Estevez, Corsairs Category:Planets Category:Edge Worlds